First-Time-Mommy.com Featured Birth Story: Baby Madilyn

I went to work, and then drove over to see my doctor Friday, when Madilyn Joy was already 5 days overdue. My coworkers were always joking about my water breaking in the office, and I often found myself checking the floor to see if somehow I’d leaked or gushed without realizing it. After all, this was my first baby and I had no idea what water-breaking felt like.

When I saw the doc, she stripped my mucus plug and scheduled me to be induced Sunday at 10pm. The stripping didn’t hurt; in fact, I didn’t feel it at all.

Sunday morning around 7am, I began feeling contractions. I decided that would be a perfect time to finish the dishes and clean up the family room. That way, the house would be clean when the three of us (Papa, Mama, and Madi) got back. Also, I was incredibly nervous about labor and needed a distraction. By 11ish, my husband woke up, took one look at my face, and asked, “Honey, what’s going on? Is this it? What are you doing?” all in one breath. “I’m having contractions,” I said nonchalantly because, well, what use would it have been to freak out?

We at lunch, cleaned up the house some more, watched TV, double-checked our hospital bags, and by 7pm, the contractions were every minute. At that moment, I remembered the importance of walking through contractions and had a great idea: let’s take our German Shepherd for a walk! My husband was opposed to the idea, insisting my labor was close—but the pain wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it’d be, so I was convinced that we could wait until 10pm and that I was still far from delivery. However, by the time we got back from the walk, about 20 minutes later, the contractions were every 30 seconds or so and very painful. Lots of “goop” kept coming out of my vagina when I went to the restroom. And then the mucus plug flung out when I wiped. It felt like I was peeing “sticky hands” (those things your kids always want from the toy machines at supermarkets).

My husband called the hospital, explained that we had an appointment to be induced at 10pm but that I was experiencing contractions every 30 seconds that lasted for about 1 minute. “Come in now,” I heard them say through the speakerphone, “or else you may have the baby at home.”

“Oh no!” I thought, “I haven’t even showered or shaved yet!” So I rushed in the shower, my husband got off the phone, belted out a few curse words and said, “What are you doing in the shower? We have to go NOW! The hospital said we have to go!”

My reply: “But we have an appointment and I’m not clean yet; I’ll be out in 5 minutes. Call your mom and my sister (They wanted to be in the delivery room).”

We got to the hospital around 9pm; I was 7.5cm dilated. No wonder I was in so much freakin’ pain! I couldn’t even shave properly, and while walking Bizmark (our GSD), I had to stop and breathe several times. I thought I was being a pansy but felt better knowing how dilated I was.

The personnel (or nurse, I don’t remember) said, “If you want an epidural, you need to decide now or you won’t have time.” “Yes, please,” I requested. I had previously thought I’d give birth naturally but I remembered the words of a good friend, “If you want to enjoy the experience at all, get an epidural!” The anesthesiologist came in. He was a very handsome Grey’s Anatomy-type, and said “Your contractions are every 15 seconds. I’ll have to give you the epidural while you’re having a contraction. Can you stay still for me?”

“Umm, I’ll try,” I said. The wonderful nurse asked me to sit at the end of the bed, hovered over in a ball, and hug her. She kept talking me through it, and I got the shot. I barely felt it, too, which was good ‘cause I was nervous about it.

At roughly 10pm, the bed shook (as if a machine were malfunctioning) and my water burst. It was not a gush or trickle, like I always heard it would be. It scared the daylights out of me because it was so powerful; although, it wasn’t painful at all.

The nurse told me to push. I was crowning immediately. “Whoah,” she said. “Okay, don’t push.” She closed my legs, helped me lie on my side, and called my doctor to tell her to come right away. However, while I was on my side, legs closed, Madilyn decided to begin coming out on her own. “Don’t push!” the nurse said. “I’m not!” I told her. Madi’s head ripped through just as my doc rushed in the door, uttered some S-word, through off her jacket, and caught my precious Madilyn’s little body (the wonderful nurse delivered the head).

While sewing me up, my doc glared up from her glasses and said, “Next baby, come at your first contraction please.”

I’m now 38 weeks pregnant with baby girl #2 and look forward to following the doctor’s orders. Had I know everything would go so fast, I would’ve gone in much sooner and enjoyed the comfort of the epidural. My only fear now is that the epidural won’t work. A very sweet and well-meaning friend recently told me her story about the epidural not working. She described the feeling as her body “ripping in half.” I can’t help but replay that in my head. But what can I do, right? Pray. Hope. Do as I’m supposed to. And concentrate on soon being able to meet my sweet angel, Sabrina.

A big thank-you to Nora for sharing her birth story with us!

If you would like to share yours, please email your story and 3-4 pictures to detroit.mommy (at) gmail (dot) com with the subject line: BIRTH STORY or Message me directly on Facebook with the subject line: BIRTH STORY. Please include all the stats (weight, birth date, name) above with your story.

Thanks, Sandy. Sabrina is now 8weeks old. If Monica wants that birth story, too, I can send it. Otherwise, there are tons on my FB page, if you’d like to add me. I can’t believe your labor was 24 hours for all 3 kids…and that you had 3 after your first 24 hour labor. Good God, you’re a strong woman!